BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 16. Electricity production from Iran's hydropower plants (HPPs) decreased by five percent due to the countrywide water deficit.
Data obtained by Trend from the country's Ministry of Energy indicates that Iran's HPPs have the potential to provide 15 percent of the country's electricity, however, the serious decrease in water levels in the country's reservoirs makes it impossible to produce electricity at the stated level.
For example, from March 21 through April 13, the water level in Iran's Karun dam decreased by 30-40 percent compared to the previous year, which is considered a serious loss of water. In the previous water year (from September 22, 2023, through September 21, 2024), the water volume in the Karun dam was 14.8 billion cubic meters. In the current water year (from September 22, 2024, through September 21, 2025), the water volume is predicted to decrease by 9.8 billion cubic meters.
Currently, as many as 63 hydropower units in the country have a capacity of about 12,300 megawatts (MW). At the same time, 58 units have already been repaired, and the remaining five units will be repaired soon.
Iran's total electricity production potential is 93,455 MW. The generation capacity of the indigenous thermal generation facilities stands at 76,257 MW, while hydroelectric installations contribute 12,144 MW, retail generation units account for 2,485 MW, renewable energy systems yield 1,300 MW, the Bushehr nuclear facility delivers 1,020 MW, and diesel generation units provide 408 MW.
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